The leader of Russia's Volga republic of Tatarstan said on Saturday he was feeling free ahead of the end of his more than 18 years in office.
Mintimer Shaimiyev announced on Friday he had no plans to seek another term of office after his tenure ends on March 25.
"I can feel freedom settling inside of my heart, but I don't know when the sense of responsibility [for the situation in the republic] will leave me," the Tatar president said.
Shaimiyev, 73, has headed Tatarstan since 1991. In the early 1990s, the oil-rich republic's 3.8 million inhabitants looked set to split from Russia, with 62% of voters, a figure slightly higher than the republic's Muslim to non-Muslim ratio, supporting independence in a referendum. Secession was eventually avoided after broader autonomy was granted to the republic.
He defended Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's initiative to introduce a new generation of leaders across the country's provinces which he said was not aimed at removing efficient governors.
Though Shaimiyev admitted that he would not be able "to sit still," he said he was ready to sacrifice any salary for his ambition to "be useful."
The incumbent Tatar leader also said he would like to fulfill his old dream of restoring the 10th-century Bolghar and the 16th-century Sviyazhsk cultural sites "for the soul."
"In any form I will try to support the new president to strengthen the republic's traditions, to consolidate peace and mutual understanding between people," he said.
Shaimiyev described Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov, Medvedev's candidate for a new Tatar president, as having the necessary skills and characteristics for the position.
KAZAN, January 23 (RIA Novosti)
